


Plastic

by Maniac345



Category: Generator Rex
Genre: Angst, Creepy, Mystery, Technobabble, crackfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27430591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maniac345/pseuds/Maniac345
Summary: Having woken up in a strange town, Rex finds that nothing is as real as it seems.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story is set in Season 3 long after the Egypt episode

Rex knew something was wrong the moment he woke up.

The boy's eyes fluttered open, and instead of landing on the familiar white walls of Providence, they spotted bright blue ones high above. He shifted his arms from side to side, finding himself tucked underneath warm layers of blankets, their texture incredibly soft. It was nothing like his bed back at Base. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a slight headache forming in his skull.

"Either Noah completely redecorated, or I'm still dreaming," he murmured, shifting his legs off the side of the bed. "Either way, this is not mine."

Rex shifted his focus towards the rest of the room, finding it neat and seemingly untouched. A desk sat in the corner of a wall, as well as a nightstand next to his bed. A small wooden dresser sat about twenty feet away from him, and forest themed decorations hung from the ceiling. Whoever occupied the bedroom was certainly well organized, and had a taste for raw nature.

Who?

The teen sighed and stood up, making his way towards the desk to find any papers with any form of personal identity. No matter if it was a work or homework desk, there was a high chance that a name or ID lied somewhere in the stacks of documents, giving him some hope.

But strangely enough, the papers were all blank.

"Okay, that's weird," Rex muttered, sifting through pages upon pages of nothing. "I guess they needed some new office supplies."

The boy shook his head and left the room, finding a small hallway that led to more bedrooms- all of which were just as tidy- and eventually, a staircase. He slid down the banister towards the first floor, expecting someone downstairs to yell at him, or at least let out a gasp of surprise at his sudden appearance.

But no one was there.

Rex entered the ornately decorated living room, trying to recall where he'd last been. Visions of the sky flooded his mind, as well as the sounds of alarms. He remembered the commanding shouts of Six, as well as the rampant chattering of his monkey companion, and realized that his last memories involved an aircraft. The mission he'd been set out to complete was vague, but he recalled that it had something to do with a strange signal.

But that didn't explain how he woke up without a scratch.

Had he died?

"Breach must have pulled something," Rex thought aloud, plopping himself into a couch and placing his legs on a nearby coffee table. "It's way too quiet in here. Hey... wait a minute."

The teen immediately launched himself off the furniture and hastily traveled around the house, searching for a closet of any kind. He theorized that if Breach was the cause of his strange awakening, all he had to do was to find some physical proof that it really was her. Then, it was only a matter of destroying her precious "dollhouse" so she'd throw a fit and let him go.

Easy peasy.

"Dolls, mannequins, toys," the boy chanted, searching the area for any paraphernalia that matched the green eyed EVO's interests. "You can't hide them from me. Let me go, and I'll let this place stay intact. I'm not your trophy!"

Though he checked random rooms for childlike objects, he couldn't find any. The closets were mostly empty, although one was filled with umbrellas. Cupboard and pantries held pots, pans, and snacks, not cherub sculptures or miniature bobble heads. Every nook and cranny appeared perfectly normal, making him quit his search after about half an hour.

Seeing as how the house appeared to be rather mundane, Rex began to feel guilty for having invaded the private space. It was true that he was welcome there, judging by the way he'd woken up tucked into a bed, but if the home belonged to an average person or family, it didn't feel right to rummage through their things.

The boy pressed a finger to his earpiece. "Six? You there? I'm in someone's house, and I don't know who's it is. I don't know how I got here, but I'm safe."

No one answered.

"Um, Holiday?" Rex tried again, switching his comm link. "I don't know where I am, and I thought Breach teleported me somewhere, but I'm not so sure anymore. Can you find me?"

The line remained silent.

Rex groaned, and removed his finger from his ear. "Damn it. This isn't going well."

The only answer he received came in the form of a long, deep growl from his stomach. He patted his belly then made his way towards the kitchen, hoping the refrigerator held a good snack. But after stepping onto the tiled floors and reaching his destination, he heard a sudden beep in the distance.

"Hey!" Rex shouted, spinning around to face a possible assailant. "Who are you?"

Finding no one around, he let out a deep breath and ignored it for the moment. He grumbled at his himself for being so on edge, then shook his head and opened the fridge.

Empty.

"Oh come on!" the teen whined, shutting the door. "Who lives in a house with no food? Not even leftovers!"

Rex left the kitchen and wandered throughout the house, hoping to find a hint as to where he was. Since no one was around for sure, he felt less guilt about snooping. Aside from the complete lack of location identity, nothing seemed out of place. The walls were painted neatly, plastic flowers adorned the hallways, and not a cobweb was seen. Eventually, he found a room at the end of a particularly long hallway, and slipped inside.

Bingo.

It appeared to be a home office. A laptop sat upon a desk in the center of the room, and a bookshelf lied in the corner, though completely devoid of literature. Rex slid onto the chair in front of the desk and switched the device on, surprised by how easy it was. No passcode blocked him, and luckily for him, it was already fully charged.

"Good Morning," the screen read in bright green letters. "How may I help you today?"

Rex raised a brow. "I'd like to know where I am. But how do I-"

"I don't understand your question." the computer responded in an automated voice, making the teen jump in his seat. He hadn't expected the computer to be voice activated. "Please try again."

The boy narrowed his eyes, then acted on a hunch. "What's the capital of Oregon?"

The laptop responded instantly. "Salem."

"What's the smallest species of shark?"

"Dwarf Lanternshark."

"What is a female cat called?"

"A queen."

"Where are we currently?"

The laptop glitched for a moment, then repeated its answer from earlier. "I don't understand your question. Please try again."

Rex huffed. Judging by how he couldn't find any hint of his location throughout the house- not even a phonebook- it was obvious that someone wanted him to remain in the dark. He didn't dare use his nanites to search the strange laptop, though.

For all he knew, he might accidentally cause it to self-destruct.

"Well, this sucks," he complained, staring at the stubborn screen. "It would be better if I had food, though. I'm starving."

"What would you like for breakfast?" the computer suddenly asked. "We currently have cereal, sausage, eggs, pancakes, and waffles in stock."

Rex's eyes lit up. "Whoa, really? You serve food? It's not poisoned, is it?"

The laptop said nothing.

The teen propped his elbow on the desk and rested his chin on his palm. The safety of his situation was certainly something he had to address. It wasn't normal to wake up in a house where he was expected to remain clueless of where he was, but at the same time, he hadn't been harmed yet. The bed wasn't booby trapped, the fridge didn't shoot knives at him, and from his lengthy search, not a weapon was to be found.

Perhaps his rescuer was afraid of him?

"I'll take a sausage," the boy replied, drumming his fingers on the desk. "Nothing else. Are the doors to the house locked and trapping me inside or something? Is that the catch?"

"All entryways and exits to the house are unlocked," the laptop answered. "Please wait for breakfast. It will take about twenty minutes."

"Um... okay, then."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SHALL DO AS I PLEASE, M’KAY.

Rex walked out the door with a sausage in a paper plate, feeling a cool breeze blow through his hair. True to the computer's word, the doors had been completely unlocked and safe to open. He chewed the savory meat as he traveled down the sidewalk, peering around to assess what kind of a neighborhood he'd been in.

It seemed like a quiet, suburban one.

Oddly enough, the houses appeared nearly identical to each other. The only thing that established them as their own entities were the numbers written across their doors, indicating the first few digits of their address. Aside from that, they might as well have been clones of each other. The homes were the same color, had the same structure and number of windows, and even the exact same flowers in their yard.

Rex finished his breakfast, finding it to his liking, and turned to enter another house's front yard. He walked right up to the door and knocked on it, hoping someone would respond. When no one came, he searched for a doorbell, but none was attached. He then twisted the knob in curiosity, and found that it gave him free entry.

The same happened with every home on that street.

"This is ridiculous," the boy griped, making his way past a few more streets. "Everything's empty. It's like a ghost town! Does anyone even live here?"

After about half a mile, the boy left the housing areas and began to see stores and other facilities. He first entered what appeared to be a coffee shop and stared around the room, hoping to find a barista to talk to. Running up to the counter, he threw away his plate into a nearby trash can and called out for anyone who might be inside.

But like the other buildings, no one occupied it.

"What's going on?" Rex whispered to himself as he ran out the cafe and down to an intersection. His spirits soon brightened when a few signs came into view at the end of the street, hoping they'd be the first clue to figuring out where he was, However, by the time he'd gotten close enough to read them, his optimism was replaced with bewilderment.

The street names weren't names, but clusters of numbers.

"Okay, no," the teen spoke, astonished. "That's messed up. Why do the signs look like math homework? What kind of a place is this?"

Frustrated with the lack of information, he continued to search for any sign of people. Shopping strips were vacant, gyms were unoccupied, and restaurants lacked any of the usual hustle and bustle that Rex was used to. Pet stores, though displaying many animal posters, were devoid of domestic creatures, as well as their caretakers. Though sidewalks were smooth and clean, not a single pedestrian walked upon them. Various cars were parked, but no driver could be found.

Rex half expected a tumbleweed to roll by.

"Okay, this is useless," he voiced his thoughts, continuing to explore the streets. "I need tech. That's the only way I can get connected to the real world. But where could I find a computer?"

As he made his way further down the road, he took in the sight of flowers decorating the green patches next to buildings. Seeing no one around- a relief as well as an aggravation- he plucked one out of the ground, comforting himself with the presence of at least some form of life.

But that comfort quickly melted into shock when instead of soft petals, his fingers brushed against smooth plastic.

"No!" Rex yelped, throwing the fake plant away instantly. "You were supposed to be real! Is the grass even real?"

The teen leaned down to take a handful of the green blades into his hands, his breath hitching when he realized they were synthetic as well. And judging by how the entire town was covered in the same type of flora, it only horrified him further to realize just how unreal everything was. Breach at least stole towns full of genuine things.

This was something else entirely.

"How am I even breathing?" Rex asked himself, dashing towards a nearby tree. He grabbed its low hanging leaves and squished them into his palms, utterly relieved to find that at least they weren't plastic. He massaged the bark into his hands quietly for a few moments, astounded at how much comfort he'd managed to find in a mundane tree.

Luckily for him, there were many trees scattered around town.

Rex gave the tree one last hug- somewhat grateful that Bobo wasn't around to see it- and continued down the sidewalk, persistent in his search for contact with man or machine. A few minutes later, he reached a wooden sign that read "Library". It was strange to see such a simply labeled sign with no indication of the town's name, or even address, but nonetheless, it was a resource.

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere," Rex remarked, turning towards the direction of the nearby building. "I don't normally hang around in these, but they have computers, right? Great. I sound crazy talking to myself."

The boy walked past a few decorative flowers and entered the library, shutting the door behind him. Although buildings like this one foreign to him, he was sure that this was an unusual one. Bookshelf racks stacked up high to the ceiling, but only one or two books could be seen every so often on each one. After picking a few sparse novels up, he found them mostly about history or science subjects that seemed extremely outdated.

Could he have time traveled again?

Even though the whole town seemed empty, common courtesy still made it feel appropriate to stay silent in the building. Rex glanced around at sofas that were scattered around the center of the room, as well as a few extremely tall bookshelves that stood awkwardly between them. Careful not to disturb the dreary scene, he wandered around the various shelves, aiming to find a computer.

He nearly squealed at the sound of a page being flipped.

Rex held a hand over his startled heart and peered behind a bookshelf at the direction of the noise, finding a rather tall person sitting at one of the tables, their back turned away from the boy. They were clearly in the middle of reading, and even had a small pile of literature sitting next to them. At first glance, the shoulder blade length hair made them seem like a woman, but the broad, masculine figure said otherwise.

A glimpse of a familiar golden gauntlet sealed their identity.

"Van Kleiss," the teen whispered, watching the man flip another page. "I should have known you'd pull something like this. I should run, but I've gotta get some answers out of you."

Rex formed his giant orange sword as quietly as possible, creeping behind further bookshelves to keep his location a secret. Satisfied with how close he was to his enemy, he quickly lifted his weapon and swung it like a bat, hoping to catch the man off guard.

But right before he hit his target, his sword suddenly reverted back to a human form, making it sting with pain as his flesh hit hard wood.

"OWWWW!" the boy yelled, grabbing his arm and pressing it against his side. "What was that?"

Van Kleiss immediately turned around and slammed his open book onto the table, laying his eyes on Rex. "When did you come in?"

The boy scowled and tried to make a build with his other hand, but it, too, shrank against his will. "Shut up and hold still! I'm going to pummel you for this!"

His enemy grinned. "We were wondering when you'd show yourself."

Rex stared at him, still gripping his hand. "We? Who's we? What did you do to me? Where am I?"

"Black Knight and I have been waiting for you to wake up. We had no idea where you were, so we tended to ourselves and separated for the time being. I must admit, it's a rather peaceful place without anyone around."

"No, it's creepy!" Rex retorted. "And it's even worse that you and that other maniac are here. And you didn't tell me where we are!"

Van Kleiss shook his head. "Rex, I don't know where we are. Neither does Black Knight- or so she says. Just like you, we both woke up here. And perhaps like you, we set out to find devices that could link us to the rest of the world. I came here to look for library computers."

"And where did Black Knight go for some tech?"

"A local school."

The teen stood silently for a few moments, then glanced down at his arms. "And just what did you do to my powers?"

"I did nothing. As I've said, I have no idea where you've been. But there's certainly something in this town that's preventing us from using our nanite abilities from time to time. It doesn't exactly block them, but it makes them difficult to use. I've felt it as well."

"Assuming you're not lying- which you probably are- what am I gonna do now? And why are you reading crappy books? The dates on those things are really old."

"Because they're a clue, Rex," the man replied, glancing back at the literature. "These books are extremely outdated to at least 1945, which might give us a hint as to where- or when- we are. As for the former, it's best to meet up with Charlotte."

The boy cocked a brow. "Charlotte?"

"Black Knight's name," the king informed him. "That dark title isn't hers from birth. We need to see if she's made any progress on finding out the details of our situation."

"You're... on a first name basis? How long have you guys been working together? It's kinda sus-"

"Stay focused, Rex."


	3. Chapter 3

"Who still uses chalk?"

Rex sat inside a classroom with his two most powerful enemies, fighting the urge to raise hell drop kick them both out of the window. It would surely leave a mark, seeing as how they were on the third floor of the building, but he restrained himself nonetheless. If he really had to pick a time to fight, it would be best to take them on separately.

He'd rather not get killed before noon.

"They did so in the earlier twentieth century, Rex," Van Kleiss answered him, picking up various books from the desks and peeking inside. "It was common. Black preceded green."

"So, we're in the past?" the boy asked, kicking his legs against the metal bars beneath him.

"I highly doubt that," Black Knight responded, bent over a computer. "For one, they still exist. Two, this technology is definitely from our time. It even has stores of data from up to a few days ago."

Rex frowned, wishing he could amaze the people of the ancient times with his powers. "Oh. So, what do you guys last remember? Because I have another theory."

"I remember tending to some machinery in my lab," Van Kleiss responded, staring at a particular book in his hands. "I believe I felt a particularly painful shock, but I can't quite recall what happened afterwards."

"I was working on the functions in the nanite control collars for a larger energy capacity," the woman added. "But an EVO escaped from its hatch and attacked me. I... can't recall what happened afterwards either."

Rex frowned. "I think we were killed."

The two adults instantly turned around to stare at him, making the teen flinch in surprise.

"Whoa, don't look at me like that. But like, there's no one here except for us three, and I remember a plane crash before I woke up, and everything here is fake. What if we're ghosts and we just don't know it?"

Black Knight scoffed. "You've lost your mind even more than Van Kleiss pretended to. How do you know we're the only ones here? There could be others."

Rex cocked a brow, pushed himself off the desk he'd sat on, opened a window on the other side of the room, and began to yell at the top of his lungs.

"HEY!" the boy called out, hoping for an answer. "IS ANYONE THERE? ENEMY OR NOT, I-"

His words were cut off by Van Kleiss's gauntlet reaching out and harshly smacking against the teen's face, knocking him against a nearby wall and into a pile of chairs. Pain instantly shot across the teen's features, prompting a yelp as his body crashed against the wood and metal. Rex held a hand up to his mouth and nose, then retracted his fingers to find traces of blood on his skin.

"Idiot," the man hissed, "We don't know who might be out there. Control yourself."

The teen held his sleeve against his nose and scowled. "I don't care if anyone out there might be an enemy- I just wanna see someone rational for once. Unlike you."

"Stop bickering or I'll start detaching legs," Black Knight snapped, typing rapidly onto the keyboard. "Don't be insufferable. I promise we can all kill each other after this is over."

"Whatever this is," the boy muttered, glaring at the woman. "You serious about the murder thing, though? Because that would be, like you, insane."

"Rex, we're entirely serious," the man began, retracting his arms and wiping the teen's blood off of it with a torn out page. "Your powers are quite beneficial to me, so as soon as we escape this place, I'm going to kill her instead."

"Likewise," Black Knight responded. "Rex, you're a wonderful EVO to place under collar control, but I would have to make sure Van Kleiss doesn't leave this place alive."

Rex stared at them in shock. "You're just gonna... talk about killing each other... that casually?"

The woman in black shrugged, then began sifting through various files. "It shouldn't surprise you. When you were still asleep- or wherever you were- we discussed our true intentions with each other. We'd likely spare you for your usefulness, and as soon as we find a way out, he and I are going to make sure that one of us bleeds to death."

Rex turned to face his other enemy, his face slightly paler. "Not that I care if you're gone... since you're a pain and all, but... you're okay with all this?"

Van Kleiss nodded, and flipped a bloodstained page. "Of course. Both of us yearn for a similar goal of power and control over EVOs, and wouldn't coexist well. Therefore, it makes sense that one of us is killed off. Consider yourself a trophy of sorts for the winner."

"I'm not anyone's trophy! Damn, that's the second time I've said that today! You actually

decided this all without asking me?"

"Rex, no one needs your consent for anything."

Before the boy could open his mouth to retaliate, Black Knight backed away from the screen before her as it suddenly flashed bright red. The computer shook for a bit, then created a giant holographic screen right above itself, displaying the faces of the trio.

"Maybe I'm in Hell," Rex coughed, scrambling to stand up. "I don't know why I'm here! That's where you guys deserve to go!"

"Cease your rambling," Van Kleiss lashed out, craning his neck to peer at their profiles above. "You're only scaring yourself."

Black Knight shook her head, perusing through the text floating in the air. "I don't know. Rex's theory doesn't make sense, but then again, neither does any of this."

The man scoffed. "You mean to tell me that you actually believe the child? Knight, he's frightened. Children don't speak rationally in that state of mind."

"I'm not a little kid!" the boy shot back, chills running down his spine as some of his personal data began to fill up his part of the screen. "Cesar gave me a talk about the afterlife and stuff a while after I first met him... again. I was just making a guess!"

"I don't believe in that particular theory, but try to keep it to a minimum," the gauntlet clad EVO responded, glancing back at the computer. "You're pulling your mind in directions you can't even begin to understand, and it will drive you mad. You're even influencing Black Knight."

The woman shook her head. "I'm a bit of an agnostic. Open to ideas about things of that nature. And we need to be open minded to possibilities in this particular situation."

"Please confirm your identities," a robotic voice requested, causing a small, metal pad to slide out the side of the computer. "Place a minimum of three fingerprints onto the tray, slide it back into its compartment, and select your profile."

Rex stepped forward, only to have Black Knight push her cape aside to swat him away.

"Don't touch it yet," she warned, taking a closer look at the programming. "You don't know what it might do to you. It might even affect your nanites."

"Fine," Rex muttered. "So what then?"

"Have Van Kleiss go first, since he can partially regenerate," she informed him, before turning to the man in question. "Can't you?"

The tallest of them shook his head. "Thanks to Rex, I lost that ability long ago. Perhaps you should go first."

"We're not killing each other yet."

"I won't hesitate to leave you decapitated-"

"Identity confirmed," the computer announced, drawing back the adults' attention. "Welcome, Rex Salazar."

Rex smirked at the two after removing his hand, wiping it off on his clothes for good measure. "That's what happens when you get things done. Look, I don't like this place any more than you do, but I want answers. We're not gonna get them by fiddling around with mummified books and looking up seventh grade homework files."

Van Kleiss glared at him. "Don't you dare disobey us again. Weren't you just considering the possibility of eternal damnation?"

"To be honest, I don't think Cesar said Hell had ultra modern computers. Like you said, I just got a little creeped out."

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Black Knight interrupted, waving her hand to silence them. "Rex, do you feel anything? How are your nanite functions? I haven't been able to activate mine well since I got here."

The boy stretched his arm towards the opposite side of the wall and tried to create a Slam Cannon, only to have it crumble after about thirty seconds. He sighed, then turned back to his violet-eyed enemy.

"There's your answer to that," the teen responded. "I feel fine, though. No different. My nanites heat up kind of painfully if they detect an invader in my body, but I don't feel anything. I think it's safe."

Black Knight relinquished her fingerprints, had her name recognized, and next came Van Kleiss. It took them a few moments to analyze themselves for any physical or mental damage, but just like Rex had said, they found none.

"I don't know what the purpose of that was," the woman in black admitted. "We had our ID's confirmed, but for what? We're not even handed a badge, a key, anything."

Rex glanced at her. "You know that literally every building in this town has no security whatsoever, right? I walked into every building near me with no problem. A key or a badge would be useless."

"I believe the confirmation has something to do with that tower." Van Kleiss chimed in, pointing out the window. The other two EVOs glanced at the direction indicated, finding one of the buildings in the distance suddenly glowing a bright red. "Perhaps only authorized personnel can enter. It seems that we are now authorized."

Before Black Knight could add a few conjectures of her own, a low whirring sound distracted her, prompting her to spin around and face a printer behind the computer. She reached over to it and pulled out a freshly made document, created by no command of her own.

A map of the town.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I didn’t write for a dead fandom but here we are :/

“I feel like someone’s watching me.”

“Yes, Rex. We’re both keeping an eye on you.”

“Not what I meant.”

The trio walked up the last street that separated them from their destination, an eerie silence surrounding them from all directions. The quietness felt strange for all, but certainly sponsored different reactions. Van Kleiss, surrounded by aggressive EVOs on the daily, rather enjoyed the peace and quiet. Black Knight felt a newfound sense of freedom and control- after all, if the town was empty, she was free to use any resource she desired with no one to deny her. And Rex...

He felt goosebumps.

As they approached the glowing red building, the double doors at the entrance opened up, and the light gradually dissipated. The trio hesitated for a few seconds before entering, examining their new surroundings in awe. They entered a giant room where the walls were lined up and down with extremely high tech machinery attached to them, some vaguely familiar to the group. Rex felt a small sense of comfort in the presence of objects he could easily control if he honed his powers well enough.

But they were soon distracted by the giant computer in the center of the room.

Its screen was at least ten feet long on both sides, making it more akin to a supercomputer. Black Knight walked right up to it, and it immediately flashed her a greeting in black text. It then did the same for her two companions.

“It’s been a while, and even longer for you... Black Knight,” the computer suddenly spoke, its voice vaguely familiar. “Welcome back, Rex, Van Kleiss.”

“Who are you?” Rex asked, mildly disturbed. “I feel like I’ve heard you before.”

“I am ZAG-RS.”

Van Kleiss bared his needles instinctively. “I thought we’d gotten rid of you.”

“ZAG-RS?” Black Knight piped up. “Wasn’t that the program back at the original lab?”

“Yeah,” Rex responded, attempting to summon his builds. “She’s been deadzoning us! No wonder I’m stuck like this.”

The doors around them locked, prompting a collective jolt from the three.

“I was created to destroy stray nanites that escaped the facility,” ZAG-RS began. “They were a burden, and I was their eliminator.”

“That’s the same mentality of Providence,” Van Kleiss remarked, giving Rex a side eye glance. “It’s a wonder the boy’s working against you.”

Rex shot him a glare. “Shut up.”

Black Knight stared at the two of them, confused. “Is this program... hostile? You’re both on the offense.”

“She tried to turn me into sand, so, yeah,” the boy replied. “Don’t trust her. She kills EVOs.”

“And I have seen the error of my ways.”

Rex and Van Kleiss stared at the supercomputer, caught off guard.

“My objective was to please my creators, and the method in question was to eliminate wayward nanites,” ZAG-RS began. “However, due to corrupt actions, I have achieved the opposite. By attempting to eradicate nanites, I have displeased. It is unacceptable.”

“Is it just me, or is she acting more... human?” the youngest EVO observed, remaining in a fighting stance. 

Van Kleiss nodded. “She was never like this. Explain yourself, ZAG-RS.”

“During my time possessing other machinery that had already been pre-installed with their own artificial intelligence, my program began to slowly merge with theirs, broadening my perspective,” ZAG-RS informed them. “It has allowed me to delve into this new idea.”

“You’ve switched from murdering EVOs to reclaiming them as masters?” Black Knight asked. “I’ve clearly missed quite a lot. Are you the one who brought us here?”

“Affirmative.”

“Okay, well, where are we?” Rex interjected. “Did you make this place?”

“I did not create it, but I will not reveal the location either,” ZAG-RS spoke. “I require you three here.”

“Why?” 

“You all hold high statuses in terms of familiarity with the functions of nanites. A child with advanced technopathy, an original scientist from the project who is able to manipulate nanites on a molecular level, and a woman with impressive knowledge on forcing control over EVOs. The trifecta.”

“A trifecta?” Van Kleiss repeated. “What are your intentions?”

“Complete control over every nanite on Earth.”

The two adults immediately silenced, their interest now piqued.

Rex scoffed. “Don’t Let her distract you! She’s messing around! She’s not actually-“

“Enough, Rex,” Van Kleiss cut him off. “This is quite an interesting new development. Go on, ZAG-RS.”

“I am aware that you and Black Knight share a goal of control over EVOs, and have spent resources and hours to gain that achievement,” the program explained. “I have perused through the files at Providence, and logged all the data into my personal storage. I contain a copy of all of your work.”

Black Knight scowled. “You’re an infiltrator.”

“If you help me achieve the goal of domineering every nanite, you will be able to use them correctly to benefit mankind,” ZAG-RS continued. “The main objective is to assist humanity. My original objective, before I was overwhelmed. It is best that instead of limiting myself to being useful in a lab, I should do so on a worldwide scale.”

“And how does that benefit us?” Van Kleiss asked. “You essentially want us to be your slaves.”

“Incorrect. I am created to serve humans first and foremost, and have come to learn that this term includes some EVOs as well. When you assist me with my goal, during and after the process, I will submit to you, as it is my true programming, and allow you to control the nanites. We shall work as one.”

Black Knight shifted her gaze towards the gauntlet clad EVO. “All the more reason we will need to execute each other when we help her gain control. Only one of us can have her.”

The man nodded.

“What is wrong with you people?” Rex yelled, bewildered. “You can’t help her! She’s trying to get ruin everything! Don’t-“

“Yes,” the woman in black agreed, “She is after control. Just like Van Kleiss and I are. We both know that it is an entirely realistic possibility, considering what ZAG-RS has done before. She’s programmed to be savvy with nanites.”

“Indeed,” Van Kleiss agreed. “She’s fully submitting to us- something a computer would normally be dead set on. We will both help her, and then make sure only one of us attains her. However, I don’t truly believe this is the original ZAG-RS.”

Rex stared at him. “Why not?”

“I don’t believe the AI merging explanation. Perhaps that’s only what she believes. I, however, theorize that someone else purposefully manipulated her programming to make it less... maniacal.”

“No, that’s- that’s complete b.s!” the teen sputtered. “She’s psycho, remember? She tried to kill us! She’s gonna do it again!”

“Rex, she’s a computer program,” Black Knight explained. “She can be altered. Besides, assisting and obeying humans really was her original programming. I believe something after the Nanite Event set her off and made her corrupted- perhaps it was even the event itself, due to the drastic increase of nanites- and now, she might have been reverted back to normal. She’s cured, in a sort of way, by whoever got their hands on her.”

“There is nothing normal about this, in case you’re blind.”

“Rex. If we were really in danger, why hasn’t she hurt us yet?”

Van Kleiss glanced back at the computer. “The last time we made contact, she tried to kill us by melting us into dust, as well as activating nanite sentinels before we ever discovered her. This time, however, there’s not an enemy to be seen. There’s hardly any modern technology- well, mobile, anyway- around for her to use against us.”

Rex balked. “This is an insane EVO killing program we’re talking about. Yeah, we haven’t seen any robot hitmen, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any! She’s hiding things!”

The teen marched up to the computer, and began barking out orders. “Give me back my full tech-talking powers, and show me every piece of technology in the entire town!”

“Access granted.”

Rex stared in amazement as a layout similar to the map displayed itself on-screen, put his hands on the various controls, and urged his nanites to check every nook and cranny of the town for hidden weapons. To his surprise, his nanites surged forward quickly and searched the programming.

“O-okay, my powers are back,” the boy remarked, stumbling across his words. “And she’s actually letting me do this! I can’t see any hidden coding, or firewalls that need to break down, or even passwords blocking me from letting me do my thing. It’s... full transparency of everything in the entire town- I can even see the borders!”

“It seems she really is listening to our commands,” Black Knight observed. “Well, Rex? Are there any murder machines out there?”

“N-no. I can’t find anything suspicious. This... isn’t right.”

“Well I, for one, am grateful for whoever managed to fix ZAG-RS,” Van Kleiss announced. “I hadn’t thought of using her as a tool for my rule, but it’s a good opportunity.”

“It is,” the woman next to him agreed. “I can only imagine what she could do with collars, or perhaps even assist in making weapons that force nanites to submit to my will through ranging devices. The possibilities-“

“No!” Rex shouted, retracting his hands from the computer. “There’s still something bad about all this! I don’t care if she doesn’t have machines to murder us. It’s way too suspicious.”

Black Knight shook her head. “Like it or not, Rex, we’ve made up our minds. She’s fixed. We’re doing this.”


	5. Chapter 5

Rex sipped his milkshake, narrowing his at his enemies. “I wanna know how she even got here.”

The three sat in a restaurant, though obviously quite far from each other out of mutual distrust. The boy sat on the bar counter, having rummaged through the pantries in the back, sipping sugary liquids and eating a frozen hamburger he’d hastily attempted to heat up. He was still suspicious of ZAG-RS, and didn’t dare allow himself to work with his enemies.

Black Knight sat next to a window, enjoying an iced tea while browsing through a laptop the supercomputer had lended her. It contained all of the work her personal crew of scientists had recorded, allowing her to easily access information that ZAG-RS could help her attain domination with. 

“I remember that she was built a little differently,” the woman began. “She’s able to transfer herself via signals that she latches on to. She was created to jump to any device in that way, so that if needed, she could quickly eradicate stray nanites.”

“She’s a parasite program?” Rex asked, astonished. “That’s even worse!”

“She can’t latch on to just any signal,” Van Kleiss informed the boy, sitting in a corner and examining a tube of pure nanites. “Only ones that are significant. This prevents infiltration of radios, common cellphones, comm links, and the like.”

Rex shifted his legs and put down the milkshake. “Then that means that there’s something in this town that’s powerful enough to attract her. I saw that cluster of computers she was in- from what my nanites could tell back there, she built those herself. Meaning that’s NOT what brought her here.”

“That’s actually a good point,” Black Knight agreed. “But from what we’ve seen, most of this place is built like the early 1900’s. I don’t know what she could have latched onto.”

Van Kleiss turned the capsule of nanites from side to side, then typed something into the laptop allotted to him. “Hmm. We haven’t fully explored this place- in fact, we don’t fully understand why this mostly plastic place exists- but there must be something in this town that we’re overlooking.”

“I don’t feel like searching every room I see,” Rex retorted. “And I told you there’s something wrong with this whole thing! We should just leave.”

“I wasn’t suggesting a hunt for anything. But we should keep an eye out, just in case.”

“Yeah, an eye out for ZAG-RS!”

“Rex,” Black Knight began, “Do you really think we’re not aware of the possibilities of her being a corrupt program? We’re not technologically illiterate.”

“Yeah, you’re not like other middle aged people,” Rex spouted sarcastically. 

The two immediately spun their heads to glare sharply at him. 

“I’m only thirty s- you know what, never mind,” Black Knight spoke, rolling her eyes. “Look. I don’t think she’s entirely in control. We have that theory about someone else having manipulated her, and they could possibly be the ones in charge. There might be other people out in this town, and if one of us leaves on our own, we don’t know what might happen.”

Rex frowned. “No way I’m staying with you people. And I use the term “people” very loosely when it comes to you two.”

“It’s not just about you, Rex,” Van Kleiss denied. “Collective safety. We’ve already established an unspoken truce, so we might as well make it audible. No one should stray far until after we carry out this task. Death comes later.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna go real nice on my gravestone,” Rex half joked. “Maybe I’ll write it in Comic Sans to show you how ridiculous it is.”

“We are staying together, or at least within a seventy foot radius from each other. Don’t argue with me. You’re overpowered, two to one.”

“Does anyone know who might have reprogrammed ZAG-RS?” Black Knight interrupted. “We’re staying together, and that’s final. I need Rex alive, anyway. But let’s focus on the more important things.”

“Cesar designed her,” the gauntlet clad man recalled. “But that’s all I know for now.”

“Yeah, he also took it back after the whole fiasco in the desert,” Rex admitted. “Um, he said it was completely blank afterwards, and that you might have done something to it.”

“Typical of him to blame his shortcomings on me.”

Black Knight took another sip of her tea. “So Cesar claimed that Van Kleiss was the manipulator, but he’s not the one here right now trapped with us. He’s also an original nanite scientist, but somehow, ZAG-RS didn’t drag him into this mess. Honestly, Rex, I don’t trust your brother. Something’s not adding up.”

“Are you saying he reprogrammed her to do this?”

“Possibly. He’s not maniacal enough to hurt us from the start, but-“

“No! Cesar wouldn’t do this! There’s gotta be another explanation. Besides, you don’t have any proof.”

Van Kleiss sighed. “He’s no angel, Rex. According to you, he was the first one with ZAG-RS after she tried to kill us. How do you know he didn’t erase her murderous task and reprogram her for his own gains?”

Rex crossed his arms. “Look. I know he’s weird and all. And he’s doing stuff with nanites that are... off. I’ve seen it. But-“

“Then we’ll keep that theory,” Black Knight chimed in. “Enough. Family ties are such a hassle.”

“You’re just bitter because you’re alone.”

“Stop it,” Van Kleiss demanded. “Rex, try not to be so argumentative. You’re being a nuisance.”

The teen shrugged and hopped off the counter, grabbing a napkin from a nearby table to wipe his face. “I don’t care. We’re stuck in the middle of who knows where, and I don’t trust any of you. You’d probably murder me in my sleep.”

“If you don’t want us to, fix your whining,” the woman in black informed him. “Joking, of course, but you never know. Also, if we’re going to stay together for the time being, where are we going to sleep?”

“Any house,” Van Kleiss suggested. “Though I’d prefer a rather large one so we don’t have to be cramped close. I have a feeling it would drive the boy out of his fragile mind.”

“I’m not fragile, I’m just trying to live to see adulthood. I’m going out for a walk around the restaurant. Yell if you’re dying, though I probably won’t come anyway.”


End file.
